Buffing it Up: A Trip to Visit a Herd of Working Girls + 1 Stud.
A few days ago, I wasn't planning on getting this close to a herd of Water Buffalo.
However, I often never know where my decisions are going to lead me, exactly...
So, when I decided to participate in an up-coming Steemit Culinary Challenge, I also made a decision to visit a working Water Buffalo farm, right on its heels.
The farm is located just outside of Stirling, Ontario Canada and is owned and operated by Lori Smith and Martin Littkemann. It's home to 350 head of Water Buffaloes and is called the Ontario Water Buffalo Company.
My motivation for the trip was to buy fresh ingredients for the up-coming Challenge.
The theme announced was Mediterranean appetizers. This could include any recipes inspired by Italian, Spanish or Greek traditional cuisine. An additional requirement was that the entry must be able to be eaten cleanly, with your hands.
It had to be considered "finger-food".
(In my books, that meant that I had decided to make hors d'oeuvres.)
Naturally, as a direct result, I needed to make a trip to the Ontario Water Buffalo Company's farm headquarters.
You see, some of the best Italian cheeses are made with Water Buffalo milk. Both of which are sold in the company's "Buff Stuff Store" located just beside the barn and farm land which comprise 450 acres in total.
I think that great cheese makes for great appetizers, that can be easily handled.
You can buy Water Buffalo milk pasteurized or unpasteurized as this process is not required in Ontario. This is because there aren't that many herds or producers in the province or, country for that matter.
The Water Buffalo's milk is different from cow's or goat's milk because it contains more fat.
As a result it makes wonderful cheeses and ice cream.
Some of the best Italian-inspired cured meat also comes from Water Buffalo.
The meat is high in iron and protein.
Without further ado, please grab your rubber boots and don your barn coat, because we're going to the farm to see all the girls at work!
(I may be the only girl who actually uses her Hunter boots for their intended purpose.)
Don't cringe, they do no good sitting in the closet. To the barnyard we go!
Water Buffalo, grow really big.
Their average weight is 1300 lbs.
They are exceptionally curious.
They never want to be left out of what's going on.
They have the disposition of a beloved family dog and are very friendly and affectionate.
They have great heads of hair which really add to their individual personalities.
"Make sure to get my best side, please."
This girl's name is "Olive". She has the most amazing "blue" eyes. (Not to worry, she can see just fine.)
It is "Spring" and calving has begun. The gestation period for a Water Buffalo is 10 months and 10 days.
The calves are 80 to 100 lbs, when they are born. Let's go to the nursery!
This is "Link". He's exactly 7 days old today. His daddy is "Lincoln" and he is the only mature stud in the herd.
This is "Asiago". She's the only cream coloured calf, this year, so far.
She is really cute and was also really nervous.
All of these calves were just born in the last 2 weeks. It's been extra busy lately.
Notice the different style of horns between these buffalo. They represent 2 different breeds.
It is customary to de-horn the female Water Buffalo to protect them from each other. There is a "peaking order" among them.
Sometimes, horns go missing...
and there's always lots of saliva...
and tongue...
I named this girl "Gene" because she reminds me of Gene Simmons. Long tongue and black hair.
What else can I say? (Other than, this photo makes me laugh every time I see it.)
This beautiful Water Buffalo horn was carved in Thailand.
Thanks for taking a closer look at Water Buffaloes with me!
I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my Journey.
(This is Yvette and I at a Water Buffalo festival, 2 years ago. Yvette was 10 and we were having quite the conversation.)
Yeah, I have a thing for Water Buffaloes, too. Just add it to my ever growing list. :D
~ Rebecca Ryan
Nice Post
Thanks for Sharing
Have a Great Sunday
Thank you @lordoftruth!
You too. :)
@rebeccaryan I love Water Buffalo's milk !
I grew up with it!
fresh - that time it was okay
but these days .. they don't allow that anymore
sighs ... I could drink a lot of it back then - and never got gas
I have no idea why ..but when I turned 7 - it all stopped I can't remember why but we didn't get rations anymore ... I miss those times .. thanks to your post flashes back beautiful memories in my childhood attached to the water buffalos, I fell on one :D in the rice field and had to go back home with a very very muddy mini me :D good old days ...
Oh, that's such a nice story about your fond memories..Where were you living at the time?
The owners of the farm, told me that water buffalo milk actually contains the enzyme lactase. Apparently lactase breaks down lactose (which is a protein) that most infants stop producing after they are weaned. This is part of the reason people are sensitive to milk, right up to lactose intolerant with attacks of severe IBS. I couldn't verify this info on the internet easily from a source or sources, that I trust, so I didn't include it in my actual article. Perhaps it is really accurate and that's why you didn't have a problem with it, compared to bovine milk.
So? This meat needs to be cooked slower than other feed lot raised conventional commercial bovine product?
Well, the meat itself, doesn't have nearly as much fat as bovine does which makes it exceptionally lean. Other than contending with the fact that the meat will be drier, you can cook it the same as bovine. I always use a meat thermometer to tell when it's done.
I thought 'water buffalo' were African and Asian.
They are, but they are also more common than bovine in Italy, and India.
Martin and Lori's herd was purchased after they visited a working Water Buffalo herd in Italy. Both of them were bovine dairy farmers before they got into buffalo. Now, they exclusively farm buffalo and have the 2nd largest herd in all of Canada. (There aren't that many farms in Canada. Lori and I tried to figure it out yesterday and came up with about 12 in total.) They, (themselves) started with 39 buffalo cows and one stud, 9 years ago. Their herd came from Italy originally, through another farm in Vermont, USA.
I have a picture seared (SEARED I say) into my mind.
I was in Thailand in 1971-2...and I saw a little boy riding a
...WATER BUFFALO.
The kid might have been five or ten years old...he was kicking and whipping the water buffalo with all his might..trying to make it GO!
The water buffalo? It was unimpressed. It'd go when it got ready to.
Yes, it becomes a game of wit. Who can really argue with what 1300-1500 lbs wants to do. LOL
(I've always meant to tell you that I really like your writing style and your ideas. For what it's worth, I think that you do a fantastic job.)
why thank you.
compliments are always appreciated.
That would have been so much fun. I want try eating it. Is it just like beef?
It was so much fun! I'd never met Lori before and Martin, I knew from saying "hello" at local food festivals over the last 4 years. This was my first visit to their farm and I was lucky that they had time to give me such a great tour of their operations. I simply explained that I was writing for a new social media platform and that I was a food blogger...OMG, it's official now! Where is my Press pass?!? LOL
Yes, just like beef with the exception that it is really lean, so you just have to be careful that you monitor it a little closer, when cooking so that you don't dry it out too much.
Gene Simmons haha! I always thought his long tongue was horrid! Amazing photos @rebeccaryan, I love the photo with the cat, and all the others too but that's my favourite. Fantastic post!!! Now I've checked out this post I'll return to your SCC entry!
Hahaha! Thanks @woman-onthe-wing! That tongue picture cracks me up every time I look at it. LOL!
Ha, how about this for a cute little tongue? My pony friend pulling faces for my camera!
Hahaha! Your pony's tongue looks like he/she is rolling it.
I LOVE picture #2...it looks like there's some happy singing taking place.
Priceless.
That's neat, thanks for sharing! The girls are pretty too haha.
Thank you @kotturinn!
There's a lot of nice girls...they all had hair that could give ZZ Top a run for their money. LOL
Nice... cat.... ha...ha.. ! (Is it cat beside that buffalo?) Nice ! :)
Yes!!! LOL
Apparently, that cat and the water buffalo have a symbiotic relationship. The buffalo like to lick the cat and the cat likes the attention...
(Don't knock it people...it works for them. Hahaha!)